Next month, Oklahoma Republican voters will apparently get to choose whether they want an Oklahoman or an Arkansan to roll over and play dead for insurance companies!
Well, at least that’s the big takeaway from a recent investigation by Oklahoma Watch.
Marty Quinn – a former Oklahoma lawmaker and one of the two men competing in the runoff to become our next state insurance commissioner – has spent the past few years living the full pig-sooie lifestyle in Arkansas after losing a 2022 congressional bid in the Tulsa area.
According to Oklahoma Watch, Quinn bought a half-million-dollar condo in Hot Springs, claimed it as his primary residence to receive an Arkansas homestead exemption, registered multiple vehicles in Arkansas, registered to vote in Arkansas and then actually voted there in the 2024 election.
You know, all the normal stuff Oklahoma residents do.
Here’s some of Oklahoma Watch’s reporting:
Deeds reveal that Quinn owns hundreds of acres of Arkansas land, and, more importantly, acquired a half-million-dollar condominium in Hot Springs in the second half of 2021, taking a $427,500 loan to do so.
On June 7, 2023, Quinn signed his name to an Arkansas homestead exemption form that would provide $425 of tax relief. The Arkansas homestead exemption is available only to state residents.
On that form, Quinn checked a box indicating that the Hot Springs condo was his primary residence. He said that he moved in on December 1, 2022, approximately one month after losing the primary in Oklahoma.
Arkansas voter information indicates that Quinn registered to vote in Arkansas on April 12, 2024, again listing his Hot Springs condo as his residence. He voted in that year’s election, on Nov. 5.
Lien documents reveal that Quinn and his wife, Kelley, co-trustees on real estate, own several vehicles registered in Arkansas: a 2014 Honda Accord, a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2000 Chevrolet SK1.
Okay, so maybe Quinn lived in Arkansas for a bit.
I guess that’s fine.
Don’t get me wrong. My few remaining drops of Oklahoma pride make me think we should be governed by our own inept and corrupt imbeciles, and not those from other states, but does this really matter?
Hell, the eastern half of Oklahoma is basically Arkansas. Plus, Oklahoma has always been pretty lax about who qualifies as an Oklahoman. Brad Pitt was born here and grew up in Missouri, but we still count him. Garth Brooks left us decades ago and still has streets, water towers and not hospitals named after him.
Basically, as long as Quinn is an Oklahoman at heart and was born and raised here, or has deep Oklahoman roots, who cares that he relocated to Arkansas for a few years?
Via Oklahoma Watch:
Quinn’s campaign website states that he was “born and raised with Oklahoma values.” That may be, but he was born and raised in Dierks, Arkansas, and attended a small college in Arkadelphia.
I don’t know about you, but that’s insulting!
Seriously, don’t we have enough homegrown, insurance-company-friendly dipshits to keep rates high and claims denied? Do we really need to import some carpetbagger from Arkansas to do that for us?
Either way, now that everyone knows Quinn is an Arkansas resident, I’m sure the State Election Board can simply remove him from the runoff ballot.
Obviously, you have to actually live in Oklahoma to hold statewide office here…right?
Actually…
Quinn has not lived in Oklahoma consistently for five years. But that may not matter.
The controversy stems from the fact that the Oklahoma Constitution and statutes read differently than the oath that Quinn signed. Controlling law remains vague on a requirement of five years’ residency.
Which five years – immediately prior to the election or at any point in a candidate’s life – is where the rules get confusing. And to boot, a strict reading of Oklahoma law casts doubt on whether the insurance commissioner must be a state resident at all.
What in the Paul Bondar?!
You’re telling me you may not even have to live in Oklahoma to serve as our insurance commissioner?
If that’s the case, we might as well elect Flo, Mayhem, the GEICO gecko or some other corporate mascot designed to make us laugh and forget how badly insurance companies are screwing us.
At least they’d be honest about who they really work for.
Anyway, despite all the evidence suggesting Quinn is not only an Arkansan at heart, but by residency, too, I’m sure he has a good explanation.
Or maybe not.
On June 27, Oklahoma Watch knocked on the door of Quinn’s three-bedroom, 3.5-bath Paradise Bay lakeside condo in Hot Springs. No one answered. The carport was empty, but the back porch was equipped with outdoor furniture and a small boat bobbed in the unit’s designated boat slip.
The row of condos sits immediately across the street from one of six State Farm agencies in Hot Springs.
Reached by phone several days later, Quinn refused to respond to questions about his time as an Arkansas resident.
“You can’t be trusted; you have an agenda,” Quinn said before hanging up.
Yep, the reporter can’t be trusted… says the guy who won’t answer questions about what state he lives in.
Anyway, you can read more about Quinn, his Arkansas residency and the stupid state laws that will apparently keep him on the ballot here.
In the meantime, stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
